Semantic Web Constraint Language and its application to an intelligent shopping agent

Semantic Web society was initially focused only on data, but then gradually moved toward knowledge. If a vision of the Semantic Web is to enhance humans' decision-making assisted by machines, a missing but important part is knowledge about constraints on data and concepts represented by ontology. This paper proposes a Semantic Web Constraint Language (SWCL) based on OWL, and shows its effectiveness in representing and solving an internet shopper's decision-making problems by implementing a shopping agent in the Semantic Web environment.     

Learning Fast Emulators of Binary Decision Processes

Computation time is an important performance characteristic of computer vision algorithms. The paper shows how existing (slow) binary decision algorithms can be approximated by a (fast) trained WaldBoost classifier. WaldBoost learning minimises the decision time of the classifier while guaranteeing predefined precision. We show that the WaldBoost algorithm together with bootstrapping is able to efficiently handle an effectively unlimited number of training examples provided by the implementation of the approximated algorithm. Two interest point detectors, the Hessian-Laplace and the Kadir-Brady saliency detectors, are emulated to demonstrate the approach. Experiments show that while the repeatability and matching scores are similar for the original and emulated algorithms, a 9-fold speed-up for the Hessian-Laplace detector and a 142-fold speed-up for the Kadir-Brady detector is achieved. For the Hessian-Laplace detector, the achieved speed is similar to SURF, a popular and very fast handcrafted modification of Hessian-Laplace; the WaldBoost emulator approximates the output of the Hessian-Laplace detector more precisely.     

Leveraging technological knowledge transfer by using fuzzy linear programming technique for multiattribute group decision making with fuzzy decision variables

Despite the importance of knowledge transfer for firms involved in foreign direct investment activities, this area has not received appropriate attention from the perspectives of both the knowledge transferor (i.e., MNC parent) and the knowledge recipient. To fill in the gap in the current literature we propose a model to understand the links between criteria complicating the transfer of knowledge and preferences that the company has to focus. This model is based on both the existing literature as well as views of company representatives and provides a useful methodology for identifying decision making problems on the transfer of knowledge. In this paper, we investigate the fuzzy linear programming technique (FLP) to analyze these links and for multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems with preference information on criteria. To reflect the decision maker’s subjective preference information and to determine the weight vector of attributes, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) developed by Hwang and Yoon (1995) and the linear programming technique for multidimensional analysis of preference (LINMAP) developed by Sirinivasan and Shocker (Psychometrica 38:337–369, 1973) are used.     

Agent-based negotiation and decision making for dynamic supply chain formation

Modern businesses are facing the challenge of effectively coordinating their supply chains from upstream to downstream services. It is a complex problem to search, schedule, and coordinate a set of services from a large number of service resources under various constraints and uncertainties. Existing approaches to this problem have relied on complete information regarding service requirements and resources, without adequately addressing the dynamics and uncertainties of the environments. The real-world situations are complicated as a result of ambiguity in the requirements of the services, the uncertainty of solutions from service providers, and the interdependencies among the services to be composed. This paper investigates the complexity of supply chain formation and proposes an agent-mediated coordination approach. Each agent works as a broker for each service type, dedicated to selecting solutions for each service as well as interacting with other agents in refining the decision making to achieve compatibility among the solutions. The coordination among agents concerns decision making at strategic, tactical, and operational level. At the strategic level, agents communicate and negotiate for supply chain formation; at the tactical level, argumentation is used by agents to communicate and understand the preferences and constraints of each other; at the operational level, different strategies are used for selecting the preferences. Based on this approach, a prototype has been implemented with simulated experiments highlighting the effectiveness of the approach.     

群决策中多形式偏好信息的转换及一致性分析

描述序关系、效用值、互补判断矩阵、互逆判断矩阵4种形式的偏好信息,给出将前3种偏好信息转换到互补判断矩阵的公式。在集结前,对转换后的互补判断矩阵进行一致性分析,如果没有达到规定的一致性指标,找出该矩阵中一致性最差的元素,并提交给其决策者进行调整,直到达到一致性指标。通过一个算例说明该方法的应用过程。     

基于群决策的多Agent资源管理模型

在大部分系统中,资源都是有限供给的.因此,为了提高系统的性能,保证资源使用的效率与公平,必须对资源进行有效的管理.而合理分配资源和解决资源使用冲突是系统资源管理的核心问题.基于群决策方法提出了一个多Agent资源管理模型,以动态优先级的方式灵活地解决了系统资源分配与使用冲突问题.     

求解昂贵区间多目标优化问题的高斯代理模型

本文将数据挖掘(高斯过程回归建模)和智能进化算法(GA,NSGA-Ⅱ)进行结合,用于解决优化函数未知的昂贵区间多目标优化问题.首先利用高斯过程对采用中点和不确定度表示的未知目标函数和约束函数进行建模,由于相关性和准确性是区间函数模型的两个必备条件,故提出一种融合多属性决策的双层种群筛选策略,并将其嵌入到遗传算法求解高斯模型参数的过程中,第1层根据相关性属性排除候选解集中部分劣解,第2层根据准确性属性排除候选解集中其余超出种群规模的劣解,两属性的权重系数决定两层排除劣解的比例.然后将所建模型作为优化对象的代理模型引导区间NSGA-II算法优化求解,从而获得所需的Pareto前沿.     

基于相似度的多粒度不确定语言群决策方法

针对具有多粒度不确定语言评价信息的多属性群决策问题,提出了一种基于区间二元语义信息处理和矢量相似度的群决策方法,弥补了基于距离测度的决策方法易造成信息混淆的不足。该方法首先使用二元语义转换函数对多粒度区间语言评价信息进行一致化处理;然后通过建立使备选方案对正理想解相似度最大、负理想解相似度最小的最优化模型来获得相应的属性权重;最后利用区间二元语义的集结算子对评价信息进行加权集成,并通过优序数排序法实现对各方案的排序。实例分析说明了该方法的可行性和有效性。     

A new representation and associated algorithms for generalized planning

Constructing plans that can handle multiple problem instances is a longstanding open problem in AI. We present a framework for generalized planning that captures the notion of algorithm-like plans and unifies various approaches developed for addressing this problem. Using this framework, and building on the TVLA system for static analysis of programs, we develop a novel approach for computing generalizations of classical plans by identifying sequences of actions that will make measurable progress when placed in a loop. In a wide class of problems that we characterize formally in the paper, these methods allow us to find generalized plans with loops for solving problem instances of unbounded sizes and also to determine the correctness and applicability of the computed generalized plans. We demonstrate the scope and scalability of the proposed approach on a wide range of planning problems.     

A method for stochastic multiple criteria decision making based on dominance degrees

This paper proposes a method for solving the stochastic multiple criteria decision making (SMCDM) problem, where consequences of alternatives with respect to criteria are represented by random variables with probability distributions. Firstly, definitions and related analysis of dominance degree of one probability distribution over another are given. Then, by calculating the dominance degrees, the dominance degree matrix of alternative pairwise comparisons with respect to each criterion is built. Further, using PROMETHEE II method, an overall dominance degree matrix of alternative pairwise comparisons is constructed, and a net flow of each alternative is calculated. Based on the obtained net flows, a ranking of alternatives is determined. Finally, numerical examples for the three cases are given to illustrate the use of the proposed method.